Gasten

(by Daniel Khim)

The King

Today I want to ask you one question: Where is the King? Waar is de Koning?

As people of faith, this is an important question for us to think about. This is a question that has been asked for thousands of years. And this is a question that has also been answered for thousands of years.

We are about to begin the season of Advent, which leads to Christmas. And we remember during this time of the year that God sent Jesus into our world. Jesus was and still is the King of Kings.

He is our Lord. He is our King.

But we need to remember that he was a real person, not just a spiritual figure.

Thousands of years ago the Jewish people wanted a King. And God promised them that they would have a king. And so they waited for their Messiah to come. Their anointed one. Their Christ.

They waited for him and they asked the question: “Where is the King?”

For hundreds and even thousands of years, they waited for God to send them their King. And they asked the question: “Where is the King???”

Child’s Game

Sometimes it can be difficult to find something. Amen?

When I was a child, one of my favorite games was ‘Hide & Seek,’ Verstoppertje…

How about you? Did you play that game when you were a kid?

It was always so much fun trying to find the best places to hide! One time I was in my friend’s basement, and I hid in the ceiling! There were metal beams that gave support to the house above it. I climbed up and hid on the beams—it took forever for my friend to find me because he wasn’t expecting to look up! I was right there as he walked around looking for me. But he did not see me.

One time my sister hid inside a cabinet in the kitchen. I didn’t know she was small enough to fit in there, so it took me forever to find her! I wasn’t expecting to look where the bowls and plates were! That was not a place I thought she would be.

Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you. But you cannot see it because you are looking somewhere else. Or it looks different than you were expecting it to look.

Amen?

In the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, we hear how God finally sent the King of the Jews, the King of Kings into our world. Jesus is our King!

But he did not look the way many expected him to look. Jesus was born to Mary, a very young virgin. And she and Joseph became parents to a real baby boy. But this was a special baby boy because he was also the Son of God.

If you were alive during that time, would you have recognized the King of Kings? Instead of arriving as a big strong warrior, he came as a baby. Would you have recognized Jesus??

There were some men who asked “Where is the King?” Let’s look at Matthew 2, verses 1 t/m 3.

Matthew 2: 1 t/m 3Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;”

These wise men most likely came from Persia, from Iran. And they had studied the Bible. They knew that the King of Kings was coming!

King Herod was not expecting Jesus to be the King of the Jews, because he was only a baby. But these wise men knew how to look.

In order to see the King of Kings, you have to have eyes of Faith. To believe that God can do all things. And to believe that the Bible is the written Word of God. And it can be trusted!

In order to see Jesus, in order to see the King of Kings, we must have Faith. And we must study the Bible. Amen?

Simeon & Anna

Other than the wise men, there were two individuals who were able to see Jesus as the King of Kings. This man and woman had spent years asking the question: Waar is de Koning?

Let’s look at Luke 2, verses 22 t/m 38.

Luke 2:22-3822 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Be Like Simeon & Anna

Simeon & Anna present a very good model for us to follow. They had eyes of Faith. They had studied the Scriptures. And they believed that God could do all things. And they saw Jesus, the King of Kings. And they recognized Jesus!

They did not just say ‘oh what a cute little baby boy.’

Even in this appearance, they recognized their King!!! They recognized Jesus!!

And what did they do?
They celebrated!
They praised the Lord!
They blessed the baby Jesus!
And his family!
And they tried to help other people see their King!

Anna spoke to others about what God had done in Jesus. God gave an answer to her question “Waar is de Koning!” The answer was in Jesus! The answer was in this little baby who was born to be the King of Kings!

Friends, in our lives, do we see Jesus? Do we see the King? Waar is de Koning in our lives? Waar is de Koning in our world?

Willem Alexander & Maxima

Here in Holland, we have a unique situation. We have a king, Willem Alexander. And Maxima. Most countries in our world today do not have a king. But Holland still does. And so this is a unique situation.

What would you do if you saw Willem Alexander?
Other than take a selfie with him…
Would you want to tell other people that you saw the king?!? I would!

He’s the King! It would be cool to see him. And I would want to tell others I have seen him!!

But what if Willem Alexander needed help? Would you help him?
What if he was hungry? Would you give him something to eat?
What if he was cold and needed clothes? Would you give him a coat?

I think the obvious answer is YES.

Now I mean no disrespect to Willem Alexander. But Jesus is even greater than him. Jesus is the King of Holland. But much more than that! He is the King of Germany, too! And America! And Iran! Jesus is the King of Kings! He is the King of the world!!!

Maar, waar is de Koning?!?

I want us to listen to one more piece of Scripture from Matthew chapter 25, verses 34 t/m 40. This answers the question by telling us where Jesus is. By telling us where our Koning is.

Matthew 25: 34 t/m 40:34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Our Daily Lives

It’s like we are children again. And we are playing Hide & Seek, Verstoppertje. But we are playing with God. We are playing with Jesus, our King. He is here in our world! He is here in our daily lives! Every day we can find our King! Every day we can see him!

Waar is de Koning?

ALL around us. In every person that is in need.

We must have eyes of Faith. And we must study the Bible. The Bible very clearly tells us how to treat other people. It very clearly tells us what our lives should look like if we follow God. It tells us how to live in God’s Kingdom!

Our King looks different than we might expect. Our King might show up in a place that we would not think to look.

But we must keep our eyes open, and look at all people as if they were Jesus, our King!

We have no idea how our actions will impact the world around us. When we treat someone with kindness, we are treating Jesus with kindness. But when we treat someone badly, we are treating our King badly.

As we prepare to enter the time of Advent and Christmas, let us look for Jesus our King. Let us look every day for him. And let us look for ways to serve Him. Let us look for ways to bless him. Let us look for ways to treat him with honor.

And let us look for ways to help other people see him as well! Maybe there are people in your lives who are asking the question: “Waar is de Koning?”

You have the answer!

You know that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus is the King of Kings. You know that only Jesus can fill the empty places in their lives. Only Jesus can give them real Love and Peace.

How can you help someone else to discover who Jesus is? How can you help someone else find the King of Kings?

I would say first we must pray for them. Pray for them to have eyes of Faith. Pray for them to want to see King Jesus!

And then we must show them Jesus!

Yes, this can be done by telling them about what the Bible says.

But most effective is for us to live out what the Bible says. And to let them see our lives.

How we treat other people is how we treat Jesus.

But also, how we treat other people is showing them what Jesus is like!

So, as we help someone, it is as if we are helping Jesus.

But at the same time as we see King Jesus in them, they can see King Jesus in us!

Waar is de Koning?

I pray that we see Him. I pray that we see Him everywhere. And I pray that we live our lives so that we are loving and blessing him, even when he appears in people and in places that we would not expect.

Amen.

Pool of Bethesda (by Daniel Kim)

I want us to think about an old story this morning. But it’s a story that very much is alive and still happening today.

God came to our earth in the person of Jesus. Jesus was God in the flesh. But even now, 2000 years later, God is still present with us. Through the Holy Spirit. Which was the Spirit that filled Jesus during his earthly life. And it is the same spirit that lives in us when we live our lives as followers of Jesus. And through the Holy Spirit, even though Jesus lived and died two thousand years ago, God is still active in our world. Speaking to us. Interacting with us. Offering us hope. Offering us help.

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Possible meanings for us

As we think about this story today, I want us to see that there are three possible meanings we can take out of this.

The first is the role of Tradition.

Tradition is not a bad thing. But sometimes Traditions become bad when they prevent us from seeing new things.

In this story, we hear about the Pool of Bethesda. And this was a special bath house. Because there was a Tradition that said an angel came down and touched the water. And according to that tradition, when the angel touched the water, the water became something special. The water changed from normal water to water with special healing powers. Water that was capable of doing miracles.

That’s why we are told there were so many sick and injured people who lay by the water. They were desperate for a miracle. They were sick in some way or they were injured. And they put their hope in this tradition.

They put their hope in this belief.

IF THEY COULD just be there when the angel comes, maybe they could be healed. If they could just be patient and wait for this miracle to occur, an angel touching the water, then they could also touch the water. And then they would be supernaturally healed. And everything would be perfect in their life.

Do you know anyone like this?

Do you know someone who is waiting and waiting and waiting for God to move in their life? Someone who is waiting for God to heal them. Or for God to work a wonder in their life.

I know a lady who has been married to her husband for many years. And they have children and even grandchildren. But she is not happy in her marriage. She wants to get divorced but she will not because of the kids and grandkids. She is not happy in her marriage. And she believes that only God can work a miracle in her marriage. And she is just waiting for God to do something.

She is waiting for God to come by and ask the question that Jesus asked of this man in the story: Do you want to be healed?

Blinded Eyes

The second meaning for us is the role of having Blinded Eyes: You are missing out on so much because you are looking in the sky for God to do something in your life. When in reality, God is right in front of you doing something.

There is a story of a guy who falls off a cliff and lands on a ledge over a lake. He prays for God to save him. But then someone comes by and hears him praying and throws down a rope and says ‘Climb up!’

No that’s okay. God is going to save me.

Then it starts raining really bad. And the water rises and a boat comes over and says ‘Jump down into our boat.” No that’s okay. God is going to save me.

Then the water comes almost over his head and a helicopter drops from the sky and says ‘Grab onto us.’ No that’s okay. God is going to save me.

Well the man dies and goes to Heaven. He’s mad and says “GOD!!?!? Why didn’t you save me!??!” And God says, ‘are you kidding?!? I sent a rope, a boat and a helicopter!”

In Revelation, Jesus prayed for the Church to have ‘eyes to see…’

Because so many times God is right in front of us, ready to save us. Ready to help us. Ready to heal us. And we don’t even realize it. Because we are looking into the sky, expecting some magical miracle.

Jesus came to the man by the Pool of Bethesda. And what did Jesus say to him?

He said to him: “Do you want to be healed?”

And after saying that he did, Jesus said “Arise. Take up your mat and go.”

This man, like so many others, was lying by the waters and waiting for this miraculous event to occur: An angel to touch the waters. And Jesus was standing right in front of him.

This man had been crippled for thirty-eight years. How many of those years had he simply been lying by this water, waiting for an angel to touch the water…?

Friends, are any of us waiting for a miracle in our life? Waiting for God to do something completely supernatural? But are we aware of God’s presence in our lives? Are we aware of what God is doing in our lives? Are we aware of what God is waiting to do in our lives, if we stop looking for some easy miracle: Just touch the water and all will be fixed.

Are we looking to the sky for a miracle when Jesus is sending us a rope, a boat and a helicopter?

Intentions

Sometimes, though, we miss out on experiencing God because we believe that God owes us something that we don’t get.

In the past, I have told you about how I broke my left kneecap. And I talked about all the therapy that I had to go through. And how it took forever. And it was very painful. Well, a few years later, I started to have pain in my right knee. And I dealt with it. And I took pain medicines. And I put ice on it when it was really bad.

But after a while, it was so painful that I couldn’t bend it without it hurting really badly. And I put ice on it. And I took medicine. And, of course, I prayed.

But I also saw the doctor because I knew that there was something wrong. And it took many weeks before I could see the doctor. And by that time, I could bend my right leg like normal. And there was no pain. But still, I knew that there was something wrong inside.

So I told the doctor I wanted him to do surgery and see what was wrong on the inside. He said it could be nothing. And I knew that. But I was willing to pay the money. And to have a surgery, and then to do whatever therapy was needed after it. Because I really believed that there was something wrong. And I wanted to be healed of it.

I knew that it would not be fun. It would not be easy. It would not be cheap. But I wanted to be healed. And I was willing to do whatever to make that happen.

I was not willing to simply lie in pain and be miserable when I knew that I could be better.

Sometimes healing does not come in a quick supernatural way. Sometimes God performs miracles in ways that are not as easy as simply touching healing water.

The man waited for the water to move. But Jesus stood right in front of him asking if he wanted to be healed.

This is true for us physically. But also spiritually. And just personally. We look for healing in supernatural ways. But do we let God work in ways that are easier to understand?

CONTENTMENT:

The third meaning for us is that many people are actually content with where they are.

Another way to think of this passage is this: Jesus asked the guy if he really wanted to be healed.

And that may sound like a simple question to answer.

You may be thinking: “Of course I want to be healed.”

But do you really?

Sometimes we miss out on what God is offering us because, to be honest, we don’t want it. We want to be miserable. We want to be mad. We want to be depressed. We want to be sad. We want to be lonely. We say we want something. But really we don’t because it makes people pay attention to us. Or it makes us feel better because we feel like a victim. Or we feel like we are special if we are sick. Or whatever the situation is.

John very clearly tells us that this man was sick for 38 years.

That’s a long time.

Was this man lying by the pool for that entire time, waiting to be healed?

Jesus asked him a real question. “Do you want to be healed?”

Was he asking him a simple question? Or was Jesus asking him if he actually wanted it or if he was okay being crippled? If he was okay just lying by the pool of water because it was a lot easier to do. It was easier to be known as the crippled guy from Bethesda. It was easier to stay in his condition than to let God work in his life.

Church Life

The reality is that this applies to each of us in our individual lives. But it also applies to our life as a Church. Do we want to be different? Do we want to reach our culture with the Gospel of Jesus? Do we want to have new faces sitting in our worship services? Or are we really okay with things the way they are right now?

God’s question to each of us, and God’s question to all of us is still this: Do you want to be healed?

Many Churches ultimately decide that they prefer just worshipping as a club. They don’t really want to change. They don’t really want Jesus to do more work in their midst.

Many Christians decide the same thing in their personal life. It is easier for them to stay as they are than it is for Jesus to bring healing into their life.

Change is hard. Growth is hard. Sometimes it’s easier to just stay the way you are. But all the time, God is here asking: “Do you want to be healed?? Do you want me to work in your life??”

Do I believe that the tradition of the pool of Bethesda was real? That an angel really did come down from heaven and touch the water and make it special holy water?

Maybe.

I believe that God could have done that. I believe that God still can do things like that. But most of the time, God does not work like that. Most of the time, a supernatural work of God does not happen instantaneously just by touching some water or something. Most of the time, change and growth takes work.

But is it worth the effort?

Think about this man who had been crippled for 38 years. How old was he in this story? Was he only 38? Had he been crippled his entire life? Or was he maybe 68? He had 30 years of his life before he lost use of his legs? We don’t know. Also we don’t know what happened to him after Jesus healed him. But we can know that it was not easy. It doesn’t matter if he was 38 or if he was 68. He had no job to go back to. He would have to basically start over in his life. It would not be easy. Thus, Jesus asked him: “DO you really want to be healed??”

The same is true for many people today. God is ready to do some amazing work in their life. But it is going to require them also to work. And they have to decide if they are willing to join God in doing the work to change their life, to change their circumstances, to bring healing to their body, to their relationships, to their church?

Are you one of them?

Are you waiting on God to do something miraculous in your life???

And is God standing right in front of you asking if you want to be healed?

I want us to sit in silence for a moment. And I want us to ask God if he wants to do something in our lives. And I want us to listen for God to speak to us. And then I will close in prayer.